In the field of laser remote sensing and imaging, an object is typically radiated with a laser source, and the reflected light intensity is measured to determine the characteristics of the object. Typically, the object is spatially scanned with a narrow laser beam, and the intensity of the reflected beam is measured as a function of beam location. Alternatively, the object can be flood illuminated with laser light and the image can be recorded by using a detector array with a conventional lens in a manner analogous to flash photography.